We all know that I’m big on drug-store mascara. Maybelline’s “The Falsies” is one of my faves. And I’ve noticed the jump in the pricing of many drug store brands. I thought I was alone in this thought. But, one of my favorite beauty vloggers, Emilynoel83 thinks the same!

Emilynoel83–my favorite beauty vlogger. We are on the same page with the pricing of drug store makeup. Honestly, subscribe to her channel. She’s so detailed when it comes to beauty products. I love her!

And speaking of Emilynoel83, I purchased two items that she recommends. One, a mascara, seems to be getting a lot of love these days. L’Oréal Paris Lash Paradise. I paid $8.99 at Target. Honestly, I thought it was pricey for drug store cosmetics, but L’Oréal is at the top of low-end cosmetics so I went for it.

I shelled out $8.99 for Lash Paradise at Target. It was three cents cheaper at Walmart, but the price of Maybelline’s The Falsies has gone up over a dollar at my local Walmart. Keep reading to see how this fared!

The other item that I tried—a drugstore foundation, is Rimmel’s Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation. At $6.99, I also purchased this at target and was more what I expect to spend on a drugstore item.

I don’t really know about the “comfort” serum but overall, I was more than pleased with this. Thank you Emilynoel83 for recommending!

OK. So, on Saturday, I decided to try out the foundation while running a few errands. I washed my face, applied moisturizer and added a small bit of e.l.f. primer.

I ran out of the Hard Candy primer so I dug into my stash of unused beauty products and used the e.l.f. Tone Adjusting Face Primer. Don’t even ask me WTH “Tone Adjusting” is because it didn’t adjust my tone. But–it worked just as well as my other primers.

I applied the foundation with a beauty blender and built up the next layer with a brush.

NO FILTER LADIES! Left side photo is me without the foundation. Right side after applying the Rimmel foundation. Hey. I know my lips are chapped. But I want to give you a no-nonsense, full-light, transparent photo. The foundation is very good. It does cover. Will it perform miracles and make me look 25 again? No. It won’t. Only a great plastic surgeon can do that. But FWIW, this foundation is a great choice for mature skin!

What did I think? I’m impressed. My e.l.f. six-buck Flawless Finish Foundation now has some competition. Although this is lauded as a full coverage foundation, on first application, it isn’t. It’s sheerer. But as it is built up, the coverage fills in.

Oh the things I do for you — here’s another pic. I don’t have my hair on yet or my lippie but the foundation really does cover–you need to build it up!

The shocking surprise here is that this inexpensive little gem of a foundation didn’t look cakey. Granted—I’m 62 years old and my skin isn’t as smooth as it was thirty or twenty years ago. And I can’t afford fillers so I’m stuck with this skin I’m in. But—the wrinkles weren’t pronounced and the foundation didn’t dig into the crevices of my visage! I’m writing this at 5 PM and I’ve had the foundation on since around 11:30 AM; the foundation is still looking decent. I’ll be wearing this more to further test the waters and will give an update—but for the Virgin application, I would say this is well-worth the $6.99. And my face doesn’t feel dry!

Now for the mascara. Let me first tell you that I didn’t put a lot of shadow on today. I wanted more of a bare eye to showcase the mascara. I kept it simple with no tight lining and a hint of shadow over my Well-Rested.

Well-Rested, which fell out on my natural lashes making them practically invisible and a minimal amount of shadow.

When I opened the tube, a rather thick-brushed wand greeted me. I’m not crazy about oversized mascara wands because they are difficult for me to work with. This wand was slightly oversized so I didn’t expect much.

I was somewhat unsure ab0ut the larger wand. I’m kind of clumsy and was afraid I would mess up the application.

Because of the size of the wand, I had to apply the mascara carefully. I can be messy. No lash curler for me because I’m lazy too. The mascara went on fine and with the first coating, I wasn’t all that impressed.

Two coatings of the Lash Paradise. Do my lashes look longer? No–not at all. But they do look more voluminous and thicker. I’ll take it!

After the second application, I noticed that my lashes did appear to be more voluminous. There didn’t appear to be any lengthening effect but the volume was on point.

A thin swipe of eyeliner and I was finished.

Once I’m dressed and put my hair on I look more human! My hair is “Copper” by Bobbie Boss–a rather nice longer bobbed style!

To tell you the truth, it wasn’t until I took a selfie in the car, that I noticed how good my lashes looked. Because of the higher drug-store price, I want to see how long this tube will last before I need another one. I go through a lot of mascara and I’m hoping this lasts over a month. We’ll see.

See? I really look the way my eyes look–and the mascara did give a bit of volume so we’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks!

BTW, one of the errands I had to run was to pay a Nordstrom bill before Bonaparte got a hold of it. I noticed that Nordies restocked on the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Ibiza. Oh yes. I did–and this is a great little contour. I’ll write more about it in my next post!

Wanna know how my weight loss went for this past week? It didn’t. I stayed the same at 145 pounds. I did eat (and overeat) the three meals from Sun Basket; the fact I remained the same in weight proved my theory correct. Sun Basket is a fantastic way to maintain a weight loss due to the portion sizes!

Thank you Sun Basket. Did you have to be THAT good? Oh..and a little follow up. I heard from Sun Basket and they are going to bring up the subject of a weight-loss choice. Boo-ya!

It’s all good.

This week had me kind of “meh” on the clothes bandwagon. I’m getting the seasonal lazies. You know what I mean? It happens at the end of winter into spring and the end of summer into fall. I’m getting a bit tired of the summer clothing.

Here are some of the past week’s looks! And in no particular order…

Yeah. I’m definitely getting lazy because I’m now on repeat with a lot of clothes. Still, these swing dresses are aboout the most comfortable dresses I’ve worn all summer

This’ll make a good summer-into-fall outfit. It was a bit cool two days last week so I wore pants–or was it leggings? And shoes instead of sandals!

I loved this relaxed look with the oversized shirt. I got this last year at Primark for next to nothing and it worked so well with these leggings from Loft!

Another outfit on repeat..but I love this swing dress too!!

I dressed it up a bit on casual Friday and went for yet another swing dress. I gotta be real here. I love these sandals but didn’t like the way they looked with the outfit. I was too lazy to take them off, though and change into other shoes!

And that was what I wore last week! So tell me, are you veering more toward drug store makeup these days? Do you notice the price jump in drug store beauty products? If the prices keep going up, I’ll just go for the high-end. What do you think?

Here’s a new one from my favorite singer–John Mayer. Moving on and Getting Over. I’m so upset. Mayer is playing in the Philly area later this month and I have nobody to go with. I wish Oona was living closer by then we could go together. Boo hoo.

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About Catherine

Far from perfect, but enjoying life as a non-perfect and flawed individual at 60 years young. I'm still wondering what I'll be when I grow up!
The characters in my life's screenplay include my better half.
He is a refined Frenchman who grew up in Paris and summered in St. Tropez.
I grew up in Long Island and summered in Long Island.
I am not refined.
My three grown children are also a big part of my life.
For their sake, they happily live where their careers have taken them! But I can still mother them from a distance!
I write about the mundane. I write about deeply shallow issues. But whatever I write or muse about--it'll always be a bit on the humorous and positive side!
It's all good!

Think I might have to try that foundation. That is one thing I like a bit sheer, so sounds tempting. As for mascara, I totally agree about the drugstore pricing and already made the adjustment to high-end. Love the makeup reviews. Thanks!

Hi Charlotte, Yeah. I was very, very impressed with the foundation. But–with the mascara, I can’t stand paying a ton of money because I go through it so quickly. However, if the price keep rising I’ll go back to the Dior or Lancome mascaras!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Thank you so much for your candid photos. So many of us look just like that without makeup, and seeing the results of the products you’re using really is helpful. I have used both expensive and drugstore cosmetics, and I can say that I am having much better luck with the drug store brands these days. Maybe the pricey products designed for young skin are too drying for us (I’m also in my 60’s). I did order Wunderextensions mascara for my stubby little eyelashes – I’ll let you know if it’s worth $22.00. Catherine, you look fantastic, by the way. Thank you, again for everything you do for us!!

No–thank YOU Elizabeth! Thank you for appreciating the fact I tell it like it is. It’s important to me–we need to be candid about what we do. God knows, the beauty industry only shows photoshopped and filtered results! I don’t play that game! What you see is what you get. Products are meant to enhance not disguise or hide. I can’t wait to read about the Wunderextensions!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Hi Catherine- Great post. I will have to give the foundation a try. I have followed your other makeup recommendations and always been pleased with them…which leads me to a question…any recommendations for under eye concealer? I wear glasses so hoping to brighten the area as well as cover what I thought were dark circles but have been told they are actually areas of thinning skin…omg…could my hips or thighs thin out…why under my eyes?????

My recent makeup find is the Rouge Lip Stain from the Sephora Collection…stays on better than many other pricey lip stains I have tried…limited colors but I got the Rose and happy with it.

Yes I agree with the Margaret who commented on the generous return policy at Target and Walmart. Cosmetics can be returned (if you don’t like after trying) at most places including Nordstroms, Ulta, Sephora, Macys, etc.

Hi Nancy. I’m on Cloud Nine that you are pleased with my recommendations. Before I go on to ramble, the best undereye concealer that I use and have used for years is Bare Minerals “Well-Rested”. I’m not lying when I tell you as soon as I hit the bottom of the barrel, I’m out the door and in the car to the mall to repurchase. I’ve been wearing it for years. Another undereye concealer I like is by Maybelline’s Age Rewind Concealer. It’s fabulous in every sense of the word and really covers the circles!
I’m gonna have to make a trip to Sephora and check out that lip gloss. See how it works! I really need to pay more attention to the return policies at stores because my extreme laziness sometimes stops me from returning!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

I think you are the only blogger of ‘a certain age’ who does really good close ups to show the effect of a product. We all have lines, wrinkles, warts etc. after sixty so no need to hide. You were talking about eye liner pencils awhile ago and I mentioned Marc Jacobs brand which I ordered, liked but not loved. I went back to MakeUp Forever’s Aqua liner( I think I read that it was developed for synchronized swimmers) anyway it stays in place all day no shmears…something this life long contact lense wearer can get behind. My contacts are geared for long distance so even applying makeup at my advanced age is a challenge….with the MF eyeliner I can apply and then pop in the contacts no mess!! I used Infallible for years but I think they changed the formula there was so much ‘drag’ when applying! I can agree with the end ‘o summer blahs. This year’s has been a roller coaster of heat, rain and cold. Never sure what to wear. Trying to drop a few pounds before winter, want to shop my closet this Fall!

Hey Momcat. Thank you for appreciating my photos with no filters. I mean, come on. I can’t understand why the more mature bloggers can’t show themselves with wrinkles and ripples! We’re not 20. We aren’t even 40 anymore and I truly believe that we need to enhance our best features now rather than hide what we’ve gotten with age. Drives me nuts!
But I know what you are talking about with the “drag” when applying eyeliner. I also envy those young girls with no crows feet who can draw those wings on effortlessly. My wings get caught under wrinkles!!!
I swear it’s easier to drop weight in the winter than in the summer. I’ve been making it a point to live on salads during this week after last week’s Sun Basket and the baby shower on Sunday–and I have another shower this coming weekend!! Enjoy your evening my dear!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Q!!! OMG. I’m doing the happy dance around the table right now!! Thank you so much!!!!! You certainly lifted my spirits!! WHAAAAAA??? $19.95. I was complaining because the price rose from $4.99 to six bucks!!! Ouch!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Make up junkies, consider yourselves very lucky, here in Australia we pay minimum 30% more for drugstore products. However now many of the stores eg Target, Priceline and Chemistwarehouse have regular 30%- 40% so that is when everyone stocks up on. Oh the high end stuff is over the top here never on sale.

WHATTTTTTTTTTT??? OMG. The price point of cosmetics in OZ is highway robbery!! I’m in shock. I’m glad you have those sales!! I’m also glad that you went for the Wonder Glow. Surprisingly, I’ve been wearing it a lot during these summer months. It’s a nice change up from a heavier Foundation during the heat!! I hope you like it! You know…..Max Factor used to be sold here in the states and now it isn’t. I loved the old school pan stick to cover up pimples when I was younger and the Erase was something everyone had in their purse!!! XOXOXOXOXO

Yes, we pay so much more for everything that is imported, I guess we are so far away from every where else and factoring in exchange rate. I have noticed that in the US you can return products once you have opened and used them? How is that possible, what happens to that product? They don’t resell it do they? You cannot do that here, if you buy something and you try and don’t like it too bad.
I had a friend buy me a YSL Touche Eclat from Sephora when she was travelling in the US. (once upon a time that sold for like AUD$70, not the price has dropped a little) Any way once I got it I didn’t open it straight away when I did, you could see that it had been used as the tip had product all over it. Was spewing!!
I have used the Maybelline Age Rewind concealer, now my go to is the Tarte Shape Tape, I love it, covers my dark circles so well.

Drugstore pricing is getting higher, but a lot of the products are also getting much better. Still cheaper than some of the ridiculous prices for high end! I wasn’t wowed the first time I used Lash Paradise, but it got much better by the third wearing. I’m really loving CG Lash Bloom because it’s giving me long dark lashes and it’s doesn’t clump with multiple coats. I’m a mascara ho, so I’m rotating about 5 different ones right now lol!!

Hi Lori! Oh, I rarely go for the high enders anymore. Although I do like Charlotte Tilbury’s beach sticks, I’m veering more toward drug store items but I don’t like the more pricier climb. I’m listening to what you are saying about Lash Paradise because I’m still kind of “ok” about it. We’ll see. I have never had good luck with CG but since you are recommending it, I’ll check it out. I love mascara! XOXOXOXO!!!!

I’ll have to keep these both in mind. I’m *super* picky about mascara, and right now none of the ones I’ve tried are making me happy. I just sprung for a MAC mascara because my sister recommended it. I know if I don’t like it, I can return it, so that works for me.

I just bought the Maybelline Super Stay Better Skin foundation to try. So far, so good, but it’s only the second day I’m wearing it.

Hi Bridget. I’ve never used MAC mascara. MAC products for the most part just don’t work for me–the brand’s foundations are just too yellow–as are Bobbi Brown’s and Lancome’s. I will say, though, I’ve always been happy with Lancome mascara but I just do not want to spend the money anymore–not the way I go through that stuff! It’s funny because lately it seems that DS foundations are working better for me than high end!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Catherine,
You do a fabulous job giving honest reviews of products you have tried.
I rarely wear foundation, but I should because it hides my 50ish imperfections on my face.
I also buy brands from stores that have a return policy in case I don’t like the foundation or lipstick.
Have a great day!

Hi Robin–and thank you!!! You know, when I was younger I never wore foundation. In fact, I only started wearing it regularly when I hit my 50’s–it seemed that’s when all the changes too place. I really love foundation but it’s hard to find a really good one. So many are either too thick or too thin or they oxidize or the color is off. But there are excellent foundations out there and you don’t have to spend a fortune on them either!!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!

Love your reviews! We are the same age( but I am retired now) so really appreciate the reviews and drug stores prices.
I did laugh at the bottle of foundation, and thanks for the laugh BTW, 25 hours! Who wears foundation for 25 hours???

Hi Mandy–and thank you!!! But–the funny thing is I THOUGHT THE SAME WITH THE 25 HOURS. Is that a polite way of calling it THE WALK OF SHAME FOUNDATION–because only those naughty girls will wear their foundation for 25 hours!!! LOL!! XOXOXOXO!!!

Love the reviews, you know in the UK along with creeping price rises on just about everything, there is shrinkflation – yup, that is right, along with paying more, things are shrinking gram by gram. My son notices these things so there are so many products I now wont buy as a protest, and in fact the cheaper products will often do in the mean time while I am sulking.

You always look cute and so put together. HEY has anyone tried Glossy Box, they have a 1,3,6,and 12 month plan of regular size well cosmetic stuff. Fifteen percent off if you sign up now. I tried a couple of other plans and was meh! This one looks pretty savy!

I have been using Loreal Double Extend Marcara (the red and white tube) and I love it!!! My lashes look long and full. It is about $8.99 a tube here in Florida and I usually make sure I have a coupon. Love your website!!!!

Thanks for the post. So interesting! Generally I don’t wear foundation, but use primers and concealer. I wear eye makeup and am always on the lookout for new palettes and mascara. Thanks also for sharing Emilynoel83; will be following her.